PURRRR
by Reilynn
Summary: Complete. S1 ish Max, Logan, a very cold night and the idea that maybe Max has a little bit more feline DNA than she thought, and it isn't a bad thing. Dedicated to all those who want Logan and Max to be happy together.
1. The Freeze

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, nothing significant at all. My net worth is a negative number. Nothing to sue here people. Move along. _(imagine a hand waving).

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This blackout was longer than most, and at a horrible time. Seattle was experiencing a vicious cold snap, even for the middle of February. Even the emergency generator at Fogle Towers had run out of fuel. Normally Eyes Only would be looking into why power had not been restored for so many days, although it could be that the ice storm had caused more damage than could be repaired quickly . In this particular instance it was Eyes Only that Max was worried about saving. Logan may not be willing to share the details of his condition with her, but Bling and the library had no such qualms. Heck, even his own computers yielded more information on his condition than he did; she just needed to sneak in after he had gone to bed. Good thing she didn't sleep. She knew that even under the best circumstances Logan would have trouble regulating his body temperature. A three-day blackout and the worst cold snap this century were not the best circumstances. Max did not like the cold, and everyone thought she was crazy for going out in, but as an X5 it was not dangerous to her.

Max parked her Baby in the garage next to Logan's Aztek. With only a passing thought on 'borrowing' some gas so she did not have to go stand in line in the 10 degree weather, she rushed up the stairs. By the time she reached the penthouse she was warm from the exertion.

Letting herself into the apartment, Max found Logan bundled up on the sofa, trying to read a book by candlelight. There was probably not enough light for Logan to read easily, but Max could see perfectly. She did not like what she saw. Logan was pale and shivering, he looked miserable but when he saw her he looked up and managed a smile. "Hey."

"Hey, yourself." She returned his smile. "I brought dinner. Don't worry I didn't cook it. It's not one of your masterpieces, but at least it's warm." She set the insulated bag that had, hopefully, kept their dinner warm all the way from sector 5, on the table. She unzipped the bag and triumphantly withdrew a large carafe, "and hot coffee, too!" She poured a cup and handed it to him.

"You brought some for Mrs. Moreno too?" he asked.

Max smiled. No matter how bad off he was, Logan always cared about other people. "Of course." Mrs. Moreno was one of the few residents left in Fogle Towers. She was too old, too frail or too broke to go stay at a hotel with heat, as Max had been trying to convince Logan to do for days. Perhaps now that his last laptop battery had finally died he would let her carry him down the stairs. "You start with some hot coffee and I will take this up to her. I'll be back in a minute."

She would have been back in a minute, but she forgot to factor in how long it would take Mrs. Moreno to answer her door. Max had been about to pick the lock when she finally came to the door. She felt guilty for rushing off when Mrs. Moreno was obviously lonely but she was far too worried about Logan's pallor to stay and chat. Fortunately Mrs. Moreno understood that Max's dinner was getting cold and accepted the promise to come talk … later.

When Max returned to the penthouse Logan had gotten up to get plates. His shaking hands where fumbling with the silverware as Max got in.

"LOGAN!"

"What?"

"Get back under the blankets right now!" Max ordered, in what she hoped was her best command voice.

"I will. I was just getting some silverware for us to eat with."

"I would have done that."

"I am NOT helpless."

"I know, but you are freezing. Logan, look at you. Your skin is pale; you are shivering, classic symptoms of hypothermia. I should call an ambulance to come get you."

"How?" he challenged. He had a point. His cell phone battery had died earlier and the phones had been out for days.

With a resigned frown Max again tried to give orders to the most stubborn man on the planet, "Then get back under those blankets right now!" If anyone could do it, it was an X5. They were bred to be officers and officers were to be obeyed! Right?

"I just need to get some forks." and he reached out with an unsteady, shivering hand to the silverware drawer. His suffering was more than Max could stand. Pushing aside the thought of why _his_ suffering affected her so much she moved with speed that only she could. She put two forks on top of the plates on his lap, pushed his wheelchair back to the sofa and was about to pick him up when . . .

"MAX!" he shouted.

"What!"

"I can do this." And far more slowly and unsteadily than Max would have liked, he did. "I'm not helpless." he muttered softly.

"I know." she soothed as she pulled the covers over him. He looked at her and she could not tell if it was anguish or frustration or irritation. Finally he spoke, "I just hate being so … dependent, helpless." and he closed his eyes.

Max tried to think of something, anything she could say to make him feel better. This was not her strong suit. She was made and trained for destruction, not comfort. Still, she owed this man her best effort, no matter how lame it may be. "Logan Cale, you are NOT helpless. I know that." Max poured him another cup of hot coffee and wrapped his cold hands around the warm cup, leaving her warm hands covering his. For warmth, she told herself. Then more softly, "I don't mean to make you feel that way."

She hoped that the warm food and the coffee would make him feel better and they ate in a companionable silence, mostly. It was broken only by the occasional small talk. Max filled him in on the state of the city. The ice storms had caused wide spread blackouts, but apparently the city was actually trying to get power back. There was no estimate on when the power at Fogle Towers would be back on again. There were not many deliveries to be made at Jam Pony, and it would have been a slow work day for Max, if she were not one of only a few riders willing to brave the cold and ice.

Once dinner was finished, and cleaned up, Max returned to where Logan was bundled up on the sofa. Logan was under every warm blanket in the penthouse, and still shivering. He looked very unhappy and very cold. Max sat down next to him.

"I'm sorry" she stated simply.

"For what?" he asked, genuinely puzzled by what she thought she could have done wrong.

With a deep sigh she tried to explain. "That I make you feel bad when I try to help you. You do so much for me; the research, the dinners, a regular supply of Tryptophan that can't be traced to me. … You do so much for me …"

"Max."

" … all the time. I _want_ to return the favor, like friends do. I know we had a quid pro quo, but neither of us have really been keeping track for a while now. … I don't know. "

"Max!"

"I don't _mean_ to make you feel bad. It is not intentional. I mean, you know I, of all people, didn't have what anyone would consider a normal childhood. I guess I just do not know how to . . ."

"MAX!" his shout finally got her attention. "I am sorry."

"For what?" she asked. Déjà vu. Hadn't they just been here? Only backward?

He tried to explain. "It's not you. It's me." Max frowned as she had an unwelcome flash back to Eric.

Logan noted the frown, knew he was just screwing up again, but pressed on because it was the right thing to do. And Logan Cale always did the right thing… right? He wondered if he was shivering because of the cold, or something else. "I am just not used to needing help; at least … not at the level I need it now. **You** are not doing anything wrong. I am just too used to being able to take care of myself and other people too." With a deep sign of resignation, "I guess I have to get used to being a cripple."

"YOU ARE Not…" Max's immediate denial trailed off. " I mean,… I have never thought of you that way."

"Obviously not." He finally smiled. "I appreciate your help. And you are absolutely right. We do help each other. I will stop complaining about it."

Max arched an eyebrow and looked at him. "Promise?"

"I promise." he answered sincerely as he remembered another promise she had coaxed from him while they were dancing in a dream. His smile was warm and he found himself staring into her eyes.

"Good!" she said as she kicked off her shoes and climbed under the covers with him.

"Max, what are doing?" Logan asked even as part of him was screaming at him to shut up and enjoy it, whatever it was.

"Brining up your core temperature. Logan Cale, this broken world needs you far too much for me to let you die or suffer permanent damage from hypothermia. Nothing bad is going to happen to you on my watch." She snuggled up, adjusting the blankets over them. "You promised." she reminded him.

Logan smiled and wrapped his arms around her. What would it hurt to just hold her for a little while? Where would be the harm in pretending, just for a little while, that he was not broken and she were in his arms because she wanted to be, not because he was in danger of freezing to death in his own apartment. After a while he noticed her breathing become even and he let his mind wonder. He felt her warmth seeping into him. He imagined her saying softly "I need you, too." Again she was saving him, as she had so often; from Bruno, from falling off a building, from bleeding to death, from Bronck, from despair… Again she was sharing herself, her life with him. He no longer felt the cold, he only felt her. He wished more than anything that he could be a whole man for her, although he had to admit, if he was then she probably would be noticing something hard pressing against her stomach right about now. He was convinced that she was asleep. His let his mind wonder . . . pretending that he was whole, and she was his . . . He was not even aware that his hands had been caressing her until he felt a soft vibration throughout Max's body and heard a very loud PUUUUURRRRRRRR

The sound stopped abruptly as they both jumped. Pale green eyes stared into dark brown eyes and neither one of them had any clue what to say next . . . .

To be continued . . .


	2. Thaw

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, nothing significant at all. My net worth is a negative number. Nothing to sue here people. Move along. _(imagine a hand waving)._

"I don't suppose you would believe that was my stomach growling?" Max asked tentatively.

"That was not growling." Logan replied in awe. "That was purring." Logan's mind was racing, he had felt that! He tried not to imagine what that must feel like from inside her. It was so wrong for him to be imagining himself sheathed inside her body, her softly purring in contentment, the vibration reverberating throughout his . . . Dammit! He really needed to purge the idea of another man feeling Max like that. He needed to ease the apprehension he would see in Max's eyes, let her know he was OK with this. He had to say something. "I didn't know you could purr . . ." That's good Cale, that will make her feel better. No way could be worried about you finding out more of her genetic surprises.

"Me neither," she stated, very softly. Max seemed very uncertain, very unsure, very un-Max.

"What?" Logan's mind was trying so hard to not imagine her purring for another man, he missed what she said, with all of its implications.

"Me, neither" Max repeated slightly louder.

"What do you mean?" Logan's mind could not get over the idea of feeling her purr around him. Trying desperately to block out thoughts of her and anyone else.

"I didn't know I could purr, either." If Logan had been able to concentrate, the rising volume of Max's replies would have been a warning. Instead he just looked at her, not able to quite get his head around what she was telling him, and its implications. "Is English your native language?" she finally asked, in obvious irritation.

"Yes." he stated simply, not able to grasp the seemingly sudden change of subject, but glad his sassy Max was back. Did he really think of her as "his Max"?

Max stared at the man next to her, then sighed deeply. Poor judgment and lack of interest are classic signs of early hypothermia. It impairs mental functioning. Logan must be worse off than she thought. She should just take care of him now. It was bad enough she had used the cold as an excuse to snuggle up in his arms and pretend she was normal. "Never mind. It's OK. Here, we need to get you shifted. It's not good for you to stay in the same position for too long."

Logan was wondering how she knew that when suddenly he was on top of her. "Heat rises. You'll be warmer this way." she explained as she adjusted the blankets, making sure they were still covered.

"So . . ." Logan began, "purring… "

"You have a one track mind."

"I've heard it's common in my gender. Are you telling me that this … purring, whatever we decide to call it, has never happened before?" He asked, his face lighting up as the implications sunk in.

"That is what I was trying to tell you. Doesn't seem like it's sinking in though." she pouted.

"Oh, its sinking in." he said with a grin. "I am the only one who has made you purr. … Purring is good right?"

She laughed. "Yeah. It's good. I just never felt that . . . I dunno, "she let out a sigh as she searched for the right word. "Safe? Relaxed? … Happy? It just happened."

"You are happy? Here?" He asked with his huge grin.

"Yes." She looked into his eyes and had to smile. "You?" she asked playfully, even though the answer was obvious, she wanted to hear it.

"Yes. Max, I want . . ." he looked down, his grin faltering.

"What?" she asked, suddenly nervous but not sure why.

"I want you … to purr again." There was a small silence, and he was not sure if he had upset Max or not. "I'm sorry. I just can't help it. I want to …" he relented. "I'm sorry. I know that's wrong."

"Why is it wrong?" She asked. "I am trying. I just … I'm not sure which muscles do it." She frowned.

"Maybe I should …" Logan felt like an uncertain teenager again. "May I?"

"Yes." she whispered. "…Please…" As his gentle hands stroked her he was soon rewarded with a gentle purr and a soft "Logan." He lost himself in the moment, in Max. He ran his hands down her body, stopping tentatively when he reached her jeans. He looked at her for a sign and received a smile. The purr got louder as he ran his hand down over her jeans. All he knew was Max, exploring her to find where he could touch her to make her purr, where would elicit a soft moan, where would cause her breath to speed up. He was making out with Max, and it was incredible! The moans, the sighs, the gasps, the purring and the soft cry of his name, mingled to become the sweetest music Logan had ever heard.

Logan had just discovered that gently nibbling on her earlobe yielded a wonderful little "uhmmm" sound with a soft purr when Max said "and I used to hate my feline DNA."

"Why?" He asked innocently, truly not able to imagine anything wrong with his Max. Did he really think of her as 'his'? He knew it was a mistake the instant after he said it. Max went stiff in his arms and he could have sworn he could hear a record being scratched across the edge to a screeching halt. "Max?"

"None of your business."

"What?"

"Did you go deaf while I wasn't looking! Is there a stage of hypothermia that I am not aware of that affects your hearing?" She snapped.

Logan silently marveled at how he had gone from freezing to scorching and now back to cold shoulder so quickly. "I am sorry. I heard you. I just don't understand. If you didn't know you could purr, what is it about your feline DNA that you hate?"

"Not everything about me is automatically your business!" She stated.

"You can trust me, Max." he tried to coax answers out of her, sensing that this was important. Logan was saddened by her shutting him out, and from the way she phrased that response, he was afraid that he knew exactly why.

"I do, but this isn't any of your business."

"Max. I want to help you. If there is something you need, I want to give it to you."

Max let out a whimper and buried her face into his shoulder. Her arms wrapped around Logan so he could not pull away.

Logan knew he was on the right track, but could not imagine why she was shutting him out. So he continued, "Max, please, talk to me. Tell me what's wrong. I though that you knew you could tell me anything. If this is something like the Tryptophan that you need then I want you to tell me so I can make sure you have it. Max." Was she laughing? No, couldn't be.

"You have no idea what you are asking for." she said, but her face never left his shoulder.

"Max, you can tell me…anything." he coaxed.

"Like you tell me everything?" she accused.

He knew exactly what she was talking about: Going behind her back to see Dr Vertes, and lying to her about it. "No. I'm the man, I have to hide any weaknesses." he tried what he hoped was his cutest smile.

She moved to glare at him with what she hoped was her fiercest scowl. .

Well, at least she is looking at me now. "I am sorry, Max. You're right. I should have told you what was going on with my legs but … I didn't. I wanted so much to be whole again. I didn't think you would tolerate Dr Vertes, and that was before I knew that you knew her personally. It was more than I had any right to ask of you."

"You didn't have to ask." she looked at him with concern. She remembered his pain, and her fear.

"I know. I still can't believe you did all that for me." His hand caressed her check.

"Logan," she sniffed, her eyes glistening with moisture. "How dense can you get? Didn't putting up with Vertes clue you in? I would do anything for you. Anything!" she made a halfhearted attempt to put her face back into his chest, but he stopped her.

"Why?" He cursed himself for asking. He suspected he knew, but wanted to hear it. He needed to know for certain.

"I love you," she stated simply. When she looked up at him the doubt was back. Her dark brown eyes sparkled with unshed tears as she searched his eyes. "Do you think that there is any chance, maybe, you could love me?" She could not believe she asked that. How needy and pathetic could she get? Apparently Logan Cale was just the man to find out. Damnit, she would **NOT** cry. She definitely would not cry.

"Max, I can't." Tragically he had shut his own eyes and missed the pain in hers.

She would **not** cry. She probably would not cry. She thought about running, she really did. She could not believe how stupid she was to have asked that when she couldn't bail. As bad as this hurt, she knew that Logan freezing to death would hurt way more. "Why?" a very small voice that sounded like hers asked, and she again cursed herself for being so many kinds of stupid.

"The bad of a blown out spinal cord, Max. Nothing below the waist works. I am sorry." He was too enveloped in his own pain to notice Max. Until she exploded!

"**DAMNIT!** Logan Cale, even **I** have figured out the difference between love and sex! I have had sex! Do you mean to tell me all time I spent wondering what the hell was wrong with me because you are hung up over your …whatever-you-want-to-call-it… not working?" she shouted.

Logan's mind was reeling. For all that he missed his parents; he had once had people that loved him unconditionally. Max had never had that, never known what love could be. He could not believe that he had been so self absorbed to not realize this before. He desperately needed to fix this.

"Max," he took her face in his hands and looked into her eyes glistening as tears escaped. "I do love you. I just didn't think."

"Damn straight!" she interjected.

"I didn't think I had anything to offer you. Max, I'm … broken."

"You dork!" she laughed and wrapped her arms around him.

Logan marveled at the sheer speed with which she could change her mood. It shouldn't be surprising considering how fast she can do everything else, but jeez! "You are the most amazing woman I have ever met. You really do have the most singularly beautiful face I have ever seen. Max, I love you. But, Max, the reality of the situation, of my situation is that I may never be able to …" he searched for a way to say it, and failing settled for "give you more than kisses. What if we never find a cure?"

"For your blown-out spinal cord or my seizures?" She asked mischievously.

"Max, your seizures don't matter to me!" How could she even think such a thing? She hadn't, he realized belatedly as she stared at him looking like she just ate a canary. "Max, I am serious. What if … kisses are all I am ever able to give you?"

There was such insecurity in his eyes that Max chose to forgo her glib response and answer sincerely. "That will be more than enough, Logan. Maybe high-society women like Valerie or Daphne expected 'the works'; house, 2.5 kids, dancing, jewelry, whatever… But I am the last person on the planet to take anything for granted and certainly not you. You do give me so much more than just kisses. Logan . . ."

She looked into his eyes, pleading, and he knew what she wanted. "I love you, Max." He kissed her and she began to purrrr.

To be continued . . .


	3. Drip, drip

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, nothing significant at all. My net worth is a negative number. Nothing to sue here people. Move along. _(Imagine a hand waving)._

Chapter Three: Drip, Drip

Logan felt the warmth first. As he slowly came into an awareness of his surroundings, the soft warm yielding body in his arms was the first thing he was conscious of. The only thing he ever wanted to be concerned with again. Max was snuggled up in his arms, her hand in the short hairs on his chest. … Where was his shirt? Logan gasped slightly when he realized that Max wasn't wearing her shirt either.

Max sighed contentedly and snuggled into Logan, throwing her leg over his. It was all Logan could do to not moan when he felt her bare leg slide up his. Which gave Logan pause. "Felt his leg?" His eyes shot open and he took stock of his surroundings. He and Max were not in his apartment! It looked like the cabin. OK, so this was a dream. He remembered this kind of dream; he liked this kind of dream. Odd though, he didn't remember having to go to the bathroom in dreams like this before. It is just a dream; ignore it, mind over matter.

Logan smiled. He remembered this type of dream, even if it had been awhile since he had had one this nice. He and Max were in a bed, and he felt his legs. He quickly confirmed that he was nude. He thought Max was naked in his arms. There was enough light to see if he lifted up the quilt covering them. It would be wrong to take advantage of Max while she was sleeping. He was just going to look. He wasn't going to take advantage, yet. He could not believe that he was in bed, naked, with Max, whole and his conscious was telling him to get up and take a cold shower. And go pee while you were there. OK, so the go pee part was probably not from his conscious.

Logan struggled with the various and sundry opinions in his head for some time. Finally, he just had to know. One quick look under the quilt confirmed everything he expected. He was lying in bed, naked, with a naked Max in his arms and the part of him that he had almost given up on ever enjoying again was ready for the obvious course of action. So, of course, he had to go pee. Whatever traitorous part of his psyche that was insisting on going to the bathroom was, well, insistent.

After a brief but intense internal struggle the part of his psyche that was apparently in charge of physical needs agreed to help him beat his conscious into submission, right after he got up and went to the bathroom. First bathroom then Max. He could not believe he was going to take advantage of Max like he was planing on taking advantage when she had come over to help him, and was now laying naked and helpless before him. He could not believe he had to wait until after he went to the bathroom before he could get started.

"Damnit!" he cursed aloud as he was about to get up.

"Logan?" Max asked, rousing him from his sleep. "Are you alright? It sounded like you were having a nightmare?"

Logan looked at Max, fully clothed Max, and tried to clear his head. He should have known that dream was too good to be true. At least he woke up before he did anything he would hate himself for. He briefly wondered what the heck having to go pee in that dream could have meant. He could not feel those sensations anymore, he just had to remember to go at certain times. Had he bothered at all today, or had he just stayed as warm as possible under the covers? Damn. "I have to go to the bathroom," he confessed meekly.

To be continued


	4. No big dealio

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, nothing significant at all. My net worth is a negative number. Nothing to sue here people. Move along. _(imagine a hand waving)._

Chapter four: No Big Dealio

"I have to go to the bathroom," Logan confessed meekly. It was very dark out now, but he had no idea how long they had slept. This was so wrong; he had slept with Max and he didn't know whether to be thrilled or disappointed.

Max simply nodded. "'K" She sat him up with apparent ease, moved the wheelchair next to him, and then slipped on her shoes as Logan transferred. She picked up a couple of candles and walked toward the master bathroom.

"Max, where are you going?" Logan asked in alarm.

"Just going to make sure there is some light. I'm the only one who can see in the dark, remember?"

"I can do it." Logan was hurrying after her, hoping to prevent her from seeing his bathroom, or more specifically, his accessories.

"I can do it faster!" And with a blur, she was gone.

"Max!" He wheeled after her. His mind certain he would find her staring in horror at the facts of his life as a paraplegic. Damn. He knew better than to expect that he could have a happily ever after, given the kind of life he and Max lived, but he wanted more time. Time to just be happy, with her.

By the time he wheeled himself into the bathroom it was illuminated candles. Max was lighting the last of about a dozen candles she had set around the room, seemingly oblivious to the medical supplies strewn about. "Max?" He questioned.

"I'm done." She turned to look at Logan. Her smile died as she saw the doubt on his face. She knelt down and looked him in the eyes. "It's OK, Logan. I'll be right outside if you need any help. Hurry, and let's get you back under the covers. It's too cold out here."

Logan was not sure what Max thought, but she was right about the cold. He finished quickly, washed in freezing cold water, and went to join her. She was sitting on his bed, waiting for him.

"Did you want to move in here for the night or go back out to the sofa?" She asked.

"Sofa." Was all he could manage.

"You know I would stay with you either way, right?"

"Max, about . . ." he hesitated.

"Sofa, covers, warm, go!" She ordered. She was willing to talk, but not out in the cold.

He transferred to the sofa and let her snuggle up to him and pull the covers over them both. He adjusted himself so that he was on his side looking down at her. "So…" he began.

"So?"

"Max, you cannot tell me you didn't notice all that …stuff."

"I'm not trying to tell you I didn't notice, Logan. I am trying to _show_ you I don't care…about the stuff. Do you want me to tease you about it? Something like 'and they say girls need a lot of luggage?' " She smiled at him.

"You're not surprised." It was a statement, not a question.

"Nope." she grinned.

"Why?"

She laughed. "Logan Cale, you're an intelligent man. Cats are curious. Public Libraries have lots of information about spinal cord injuries. You put two and two together." She wasn't going to bring up the fact that it was _her_ medical info that was highly classified while _his_ was public knowledge. She wasn't going to bring up her feline DNA again after the last near miss. She supposed he was going to have to find out eventually, but she wanted more time. Time to just be happy, with him.

The relief Logan felt was indescribable. She knew, and she was still here. She knew, and she was OK with it. How much did she know? "So you read a book on me?" he asked, going back to their light banter.

"Well, not a whole book about you specifically," she teased back hoping the answer would suffice.

It wouldn't. "What did you read?"

"Couple books, there are a few magazines, bunch of websites, Dr. Carr's files at the hospital, several catalogs." She shrugged, trying for blithe. "The usual, I suppose."

He had to laugh. He had been so worried about her finding out his 'secret' and she already knew. She cared enough about him. "Dr. Carr's file, huh?" He had caught that. That was so Max, his little minx! Was she really his? He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

"He has pretty good handwriting, for a doctor." She was unrepentant.

"So, you know." It was a statement, not a question.

She answered regardless, "Yes. There is a whole file on your computer, too. Of … well, more than kisses, if your interested in that?"

"There is not!" he denied.

"Yes, there is," she asserted.

"Max, I haven't investigated, I mean, there wasn't any…"

She cut him off. "Logan. I was informing you, not accusing you. It's called XX5, under wild ideas, under research." She shrugged. "If you're interested." She looked at him and had to smile.

Logan pulled her even closer. He could not believe that she had cared about him, wondered about him in that way. He kissed her gently then pulled back to look into her eyes. "Mine."

"Yours." She smiled, laughed "We sound like those silly hard candies." She knew she must have said something wrong because Logan immediately went stiff, his face fell and his eyes went wide with near panic. "Logan, what's wrong?" Her mind racing, trying to determine what was wrong.

Logan stared at his watch in horror. _It was 1:23am February 14th and suddenly he had a girlfriend!_

To be continued...

Coming soon: Chapter 5: Big dealio


	5. Big dealio

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, nothing significant at all. My net worth is a negative number. Nothing to sue here people. Move along. _(imagine a hand waving).

* * *

_

Chapter 5: Big dealio

"I'm sorry," Was all Logan could choke out.

"For what? Logan, what is going on?" If Max had been a normal girl, she would be panicking by now. As a soldier, she was in 'threat' mode. She hadn't heard anything, and she thought her hearing was better than Logan's, but she could be wrong. She sat up and scanned the room. She was getting up to put on her shoes for a full reconnaissance, when Logan figured out that he was really scaring her.

"Max, we aren't in danger. I just …I didn't get you anything." He stammered.

Max just stared at him.

"It's Valentines Day. I should have gotten you something."

"That's what your upset about?" she yelled. He nodded. She smacked him in the chest. "You do not react like that unless we are in danger." She let out deep breath she had not realized that she was holding.

"Well, I did get hit." He offered meekly as he rubbed his chest.

"You scared me. I thought you were in danger, or I had said something totally wrong." she said quietly.

"No, you just reminded me it was Valentines Day. I haven't had to do anything about Valentines Day for a long time."

"You don't have to do anything for Valentines Day." Max stated, firmly. She thought for a moment then reiterated, "No." She sounded very certain; if only he understood what it was she was certain of.

"No?" He asked. He thought they had established they were …together.

"No. I am sure. No." She was satisfied with that answer.

Logan wasn't. "Why not?"

"For starters I never really got the whole V-day dealio to begin with."

"You've never gotten a Valentines Day present," he interrupted. All things considered, he didn't know why he was surprised. Apparently it was still sinking in how different their backgrounds were.

"That's not what I said. What I am _trying_ to tell you is that you can forget about the clichés."

"You never got a Valentines Day present." He was certain of that.

"That is beside the point!" She was seriously starting to worry about Logan. Maybe he wouldn't even remember any of this when he recovered. Did she want that? He said he loved her, did he mean it like she thought? Or was it his impaired mental faculties? She should just get him to go back to sleep. He needed the rest. She would, she just had one point to make first. "Logan, neither one of us is exactly what you would call normal. You are Eyes Only, famous underground cyber-journalist, one of the last honest men, and probably the only true hero left in this broken world. I am a fugitive from a secret government agency with a freak show for a body that I don't have an owner's manual for. Traditional isn't going to work for us. I was kind of hoping that instead of trying to fit into the traditional roles that I don't really understand and would probably screw up anyhow, that you and I could just kinda … make it up as we go along."

Logan put his hand under her chin and lifted her face to his so that he could look her in the eyes. Wow, Max really thought he was a hero. He could scarcely believe it. "That sounds wonderful, Max."

She rewarded him by snuggling close and purring.

He held her close and chuckled lightly. "You like that."

"So do you!" She accused.

"Oh, yes! Max, I cannot even begin to describe how …wonderful it made me feel when you told me you had never in your life felt as safe, happy, peaceful as you did in my arms. I will **never** get over that. I …" he paused, searching for the right words. Finally, softly "There are no words."

She smiled. Wow, Logan Cale, man of letters, speechless but she understood. Sometimes words were just inadequate, clumsy. Sometimes words could only get in the way. Sometimes words must be discarded. She nodded, and snuggled contentedly up to her only love.

* * *

Logan reached out to find no one. His heart sank briefly that he had awoken alone, and then he realized he was back at the cabin. His elation that he was dreaming lasted two seconds before he was **really** miserable about being alone. Dammit. He sat up and looked around. He was at the cabin again, in front of the fire, naked, whole, in the folded out sofa-bed. **He** was where he was supposed to be; where was Max? He assumed it was too much to ask. Just because they were together, whatever that was going to mean for them, didn't necessarily mean he was going to be having erotic dreams about her. Apparently there were limits even to 'making it up as you go'. Dammit!

Logan was sitting in front of the fire, sulking about boring dreams, when he heard the water running from the bathroom. He literally jumped over the back of the couch and ran into the bathroom. This was where the bathroom in the cabin was supposed to be, but it was the huge whirlpool tub from his apartment. Strange, but he didn't care. There was Max! She looked so beautiful, illuminated by the candles. She took his breath away.

He must have made a noise, because she looked up at him. She smiled, and then her gaze wondered down his body, his naked and ready body. She gasped, averted her eyes and suddenly became aware of her own state of undress. She pulled her legs up to her body and hugged them to her.

Logan grinned. She was blushing! That was just too cute. Well, he guessed that was because this was their first time. Okay, not yet, but he had every intention of this being their first time. Not that he hadn't fantasized about it before, but this was the first real …What was he thinking? WHY was he thinking? Just go with it. He looked at Max. She was peeking at him, but her eyes had not made it all the way up to his face yet. He knew he must have a huge grin on his face, but he couldn't help it. He didn't want to.

Logan knelt down beside the tub. Max looked up shyly when he knelt down beside her.

"Is this your dream, or mine?" she asked.

Hmmm, That was exactly what he asked last time. Last time they …shared a dream? Hmmm. Investigate later, right now, if she thinks this is her dream, she will be more relaxed, more likely to answer certain questions. Logan was pleased his usually sharp mind had finally decided to start functioning again.

"I am yours." he murmured huskily. It was the truth.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I am here for you. Max…" he reached into the tub to touch her. "Let me …"

She moved forward in the tub. He took it as an invitation and stepped in behind her. He heard the slight intake of her breath at the sight of him.

"You can walk." she offered lamely.

"I am whole and complete, because I have never not been that to you." he answered sincerely as he wrapped his arms around her. She melted, as expected. She turned to him and kissed him. For an endless time they just explored each other. Kissing, touching, caressing. Logan delighting in the tiny ripples in the water each time Max purred for him.

Eventually Logan let the cooling water out of the tub. He helped Max out and dried her off with the softest towel she had ever felt, but maybe it was just that everything was better now. He finished and gazed down into her eyes, his face only inches away. "I've dreamed about sweeping you off your feet and carrying you to bed. May I?"

She nodded. He kissed her, then swept her up into his arms and carried her to the bed. As he laid her down on the bed she appeared to blush. "Now what?" she asked.

Logan was amused by Max acting girly and shy. If she had to ask … "I have a lot to teach you. So much I want to give to you."

Max giggled. "You're not modest are you? Oh, yes, so much, lots, huge!" as she glanced purposefully down his body.

Logan had to laugh. Life with Max would never be dull. He reached to claim her and she surrendered herself to his ministrations.

* * *

Many hours later Logan lay contentedly back in the bed, gently caressing a very sated Max. He would have been congratulating himself on his genius, if this had been his idea. He had become a real fan of 'mind over matter' and 'making it up as we go along'. He did have to admit it was perfect. They did have to worry about his blown out spinal cord, birth control, anyone hearing or seeing them, bug bites or even the stamina limitations of his over thirty year old body. Not that he had been this able, this often, even as a teenager. Yes, mind over matter was truly awesome. Still there were limitations; eventually they were going to have to wake up, and somehow he sensed that time was drawing near. He couldn't put it off any more.

"Max?" he began.

"OK. I admit you have every right to be arrogant. You are incredible." she answered.

At least in his dreams, he thought ruefully, but lovely to hear. Still, not where this conversation needed to go. He needed to find out what was wrong with Max's feline DNA, and she was very good at dodging. "I have an idea."

She grinned seductively and reached for him. "Another one?"

Focus, Logan, focus! This could be important, and you don't have much time left. "Not that kind of idea." He grinned at her pouty lips. "I know there is something about your feline DNA you don't like, and you aren't sure how to tell me in the real world." At least he was hoped that was the only reason for her reluctance. "So, I was thinking. You could tell me now, and we could figure out how to break it to the real me." He knew he was reaching here, but nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

"It's about my …cycles," she began.

Logan was happy she was going for this, hoping this was going to work. "Cycles?" he gently prodded when she seemed to not know how to continue.

"I am mostly human, but the cycles are …feline. You know, cats? Mating cycles?" She didn't elaborate.

"Oh …Cycles. So you go into …wow!" Logan was waiting for the other shoe to drop. There was supposed to be something bad here. "How often?"

"Usually three times a year." She was watching Logan carefully for his reaction.

"How long do they last?" Logan carefully kept calm.

"Two days."

"How does this effect your normal monthly menstrual cycles?" he asked. Logan was probing, there was something here that had Max upset; he just needed to find it. Quickly.

"I don't have them. Never did. Maybe Manticore decided the blood loss would be excessive for a soldier, maybe this is just another of their screw ups. I don't know." She looked so unhappy.

Logan was still looking for the bad here. "Maybe they thought PMS in the trenches would be a really bad idea?" He offered her a reassuring smile. Finally she smiled. "That's it?" He asked, not quite able to believe it.

She nodded. "You're not freaked out?" she asked so uncertain.

As far as Logan was concerned, this dream had gotten weird. His girlfriend had just told him he never had to worry about PMS, menstruation, or having to go purchase feminine hygiene supplies for her, but she did turn into a nympho for a couple of days three times a year. And she was acting like she expected him to think any of this was a bad thing. He was definitely dreaming. No way that this was true, it was too good. Still, he better answer her.

"Of course not. Max, I know who you are. You have nothing to be ashamed of. This is not going to bother me. I might be a little worried about being able to …satisfy you, but I guess I better get busy and read that folder. How long until the next, um, cycle?"

"Probably a couple of weeks, maybe a month." she answered.

"You should probably tell me so I can get started reading. That isn't much time." He was covering his bases here. Rationally he knew this was too good to be true, but not so long ago he had thought that Max would never settle for a cripple. So, who knew?

"You're sure you're not going to freak out?"

"Absolutely."

"So how should I break it to you?" she asked.

Odd, she was still acting like there was bad news here. Fortunately for Logan all Max could tell is that he was thoughtfully considering how to answer her question, not the specific details of why it was difficult. Finally the downside occurred to him, and he knew how to answer.

"Any way you tell me will be fine, but tell me. I know who you are; I am not going to think any less of you. This is not your fault. It would be better if you give me warning so that I can read the file, but no matter what come to me. Even if you give me no warning at all. My hands work, my mouth works, I have a massaging shower head on hand control … and we have our dreams. I will think of something. Come to me. I know you could find another man with …functional…" Logan broke off, pained. Reality, his reality, was not nearly as pleasant as this dream and it was pulling him away swiftly.

Max held him tight, hoping to comfort. "I'll tell you. I will not be around anyone but you. I have been locking myself in my room, but locking us in your room sounds much better." She smiled at him, hoping to convey her love and devotion. "If nothing else the food will be a lot better."

"I promise." As he pulled her close and let himself wake up.

To be continued


	6. Morning

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, nothing significant at all. My net worth is a negative number. Nothing to sue here people. Move along. (imagine a hand waving).

* * *

**Chapter 6:** Morning

Logan woke, reluctantly, to find the power was back on. After days of miserable cold, he should have been happy; instead his first thought was that he would no longer have an excuse to have Max so near. Then, as he tried to sort out what really happened last night from what he had dreamed, he thought that, maybe, he wouldn't need an excuse after all. He reached out to stroke her hair and she lifted her head up to look at him.

"Hey," she said.

"Hi," he said. They smiled as their words tumbled over each other.

"How are you feeling?" Max asked.

"Fine. Good. Actually, I feel great. It . . . It's just taking a little while for me to get my head around … last night."

"Is that good or bad?" she asked, her old insecurities apparently back in the light.

"Good. I just need to sort out what really happened. Convince myself it wasn't all just a dream." He wrapped his arms around her.

"You should go in to see the Doctor." she stated. "You were pretty out of it."

"No, I wasn't."

"Yes, you were. You couldn't wait two minutes for me to get back to get the forks! That was definitely poor judgment. Classic hypothermia symptom. You should get checked out."

"I feel fine," Logan insisted.

"Oh, really? How do your toes feel?" Max pulled no punches.

"Same as always!" Logan wasn't letting Max brush any of this off because she was emotional. He held her face in his hands and looked into her dark brown eyes. "I am not 'out of it'. I do not remember ever feeling more lucid." He pulled her toward him and kissed her and for a moment she let him.

She pulled away. "First, you go see the doctor and make sure you are OK. Then …we'll talk."

With an acquiescent sigh, "Do you at least trust me enough to let me make you breakfast?"

"Hmmm," she pretended to think the matter over. "Okay, but I am watching you around the hot and sharp stuff."

"Okay." he repeated, and waited. He needed her to get off him before he could get up, but he was not about to ask her to move for anything. They just stared at each other, content. Eventually Max realized why Logan wasn't moving and got up.

"Oh. Sorry," she said.

"I'm not," he smiled at her. Max smiled back shyly. Logan remembered how young she was. It was difficult to reconcile the tough, confident soldier that always knew what to do even in the most precarious situations, to the caring, uncertain young woman that had probably never let anyone this close to her before him; the beautiful incongruity that was Max.

Logan made breakfast with Max dutifully watching his every move. Logan kept his amusement (that a genetically enhanced killing machine with DNA worth millions was guarding him against accidentally burning himself) to himself. Max tried to keep her concern (that a potentially impaired ordinary man was handling dangerously hot objects) to herself.

"So," they said as soon as Logan set the last plate of food on the table. Max let out a soft laugh; Logan simply smiled. Breakfast was eaten quickly in a silence that neither of them was quite sure if it was comfortable.

"So," they said in unison again when they were done.

"You said that you were having trouble sorting out what actually happened last night. What do you remember?" Max finally asked.

"You brought a hot dinner for us, well mostly for me. And you brought some for Mrs. Moreno. I got up and tried to get the plates while you took her dinner."

"That was poor judgement, classic hypothermia." She stated.

Logan looked at her sitting there, so unsure, and understood. She was worried that everything last night was just his 'poor judgement' caused by the cold. "I have never seen anyone move so fast."

"You saw me?" she challenged.

"Well, there was kind of a blur. I figured that had to be you." He smiled, hoping to reassure her.

She did smile back "Yep," she replied.

"We had dinner. I was feeling sorry for myself." He reached out and put his hand on hers. "You told me we were friends; that we had moved beyond quid pro quo."

Max only nodded but she did not look away from him.

"You said you didn't think of me as a cripple."

"I don't."

"You purred." he paused. "For me." Logan wheeled back so that he was facing Max and gently pulled on her hand. She came to him, curling up on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and began gently caressing her. He was rewarded with a soft purr as his hands gently explored her body. For a few moments she surrendered herself to his ministrations; then she remembered the most prominent reason for her doubts.

"First, you need to have your doctor make sure you are OK." She stopped his hands, but did not leave his lap. "What else do you remember?"

"You said you had never purred before."

"Okay, yeah, after the purr stuff." she said impatiently.

"My gender has a one track mind." he teased her.

"Well that is true, but .."

"I love you." Max froze. Last night, when she was so worried about Logan was one thing, this was … so real.

"You saw all the …stuff when I had to go to the bathroom, but you already knew it." Max nodded so he continued.

"You investigated my …injury, more than I have." Logan almost laughed at the irony that she cared more about him than he did. Max just nodded to confirm the events, but said nothing.

"You read my medical file. Dr. Carr has very good handwriting for a doctor." Logan smiled and looked to Max for affirmation.

"Yes." she confirmed.

"You know I may never be able to …" Logan paused, surprised at the difficulty.

"I know." Max tried to quietly reassure her love.

"You knew." He repeated. His hands moved to hold her face. "But for some reason …you love me anyway."

"I love you," she confirmed.

He hesitated. Now, it seemed so implausible that they really shared a dream. Perhaps Max had probable cause to suspect his mental facilities after all. No matter how far-fetched it seemed, he had to know. "We were at the cabin."

Max just stared at him, shocked.

Logan fervently hoped that was because she remembered the dream as well, rather than because she thought he was crazy. Regardless, he pressed on. "You were taking a bath by candlelight. …I joined you."

"Then you carried me to the bed." Max's voice was quiet, uncertain.

"We made love." Logan smiled at her, elated.

"That's an understatement! WOW!" Max seemed to be regaining her composure.

"Wow." he repeated. "You told me about your cycles."

So much for Max's composure. She paused, doubtful, then ventured "But for some reason …you love me anyway?"

"I love you," Logan confirmed and pulled Max close in for a kiss. Max once again yielded to her love. Logan was pleased that the dream had been accurate reconnaissance and proceeded do what he knew Max loved. He was rewarded with a very loud PURRRRRR.

To be continued …

Coming soon: Chapter 7 Dammit!


	7. Dammit

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, nothing significant at all. My net worth is a negative number. Nothing to sue here people. Move along. (imagine a hand waving).

* * *

**Chapter 7** Dammit! 

A very loud PURRRR filled the air. Followed almost immediately by an even louder "Whoa!" and a crash that was somewhere in between in volume.

The purr stopped immediately. Max was startled. Logan had as murderous of a look as Bling had ever seen, but he really couldn't blame the man. Bling hadn't intended to interrupt. He was just going to sneak in and grab a cup of coffee until they were done.

Max immediately hopped off Logan's lap, leaving Logan grumbling about the downside of her speed. "Logan is going to need to go see Dr. Carr today!" She blurted.

"What did you do to him?" Bling asked before he thought.

Max blushed, but did not pause. "I didn't … It was freezing in here when I showed up last night! He had hypothermia. I think he's OK, but he should go in and be checked."

"Mild hypothermia doesn't have any long term effects. Although, have you checked him for frostbite?" Tried Bling.

"No." Max stated, seeming less than comfortable.

"I feel fine." Logan asserted. "Actually, I feel better than I have in a long time." Logan reached out to Max who was slightly out of his range.

"You need to go in and be checked. You seemed kind of …out of it." Max asserted.

"I was not 'out of it'!" Logan was not quite yelling.

"I'm just going to clean up the coffee and you two can go back to whatever you were doing before," offered Bling.

"I have to get to work," said Max.

"Max!" Logan paused. He knew they weren't going to get much resolved with Bling there. "Come back for dinner?"

Max hesitated.

"Please?" Logan prayed.

Max nodded and bolted out the door. Logan let out a deep sigh after he heard the door shut.

"I am so sorry." Bling offered, even though he knew it would not really help.

Logan just glared at him.

* * *

Logan did call Dr. Carr, but the man was busy with the serious casualties of the unusual weather. Seattle did not usually have ice storms, and while this was not a record low for February (1 degree Fahrenheit, 1950) this was the first bad one since the Pulse. There were far more homeless and squatters in inadequately protected buildings, than in the winters of 1989 or 1990 (which also had many days below freezing) so this storm hit the city much harder than any had ever before. Most of the equipment to deal with the ice was either missing or broken. 

Logan thought about braving the still treacherous roads, but decided he had too much work to catch up on since the Eyes-Only informant net had been down for days. Logan gave serious consideration to sending Bling out to gather Valentines Day gifts for Max. The man felt guilty enough that he would probably have done it. Then he remembered that he and Max were going to make things up as they go. He would shove some candles near each other and they would make S'mores over them. That would work. If he and Max could be said to have a style, it would have to be unique.

The only good to come out of the storm was that it apparently shut the bad guys down as well. You wouldn't know it from the casualty reports, but so far all the deaths appeared to be from natural or accidental causes. Logan was caught up with his Eyes-Only mission before noon.

With Eyes-Only current and hours before he could start dinner, Logan began researching dreaming. Not that the Internet was what it once was, but a good researcher/hacker like Logan could usually find what he was looking for. Assuming the knowledge existed, Logan thought ruefully. Everything to be found on co-dreaming, or whatever it was, appeared utter quackery. It's hard to research something when you don't even know what it's called.

Logan considered the possibility that no one had ever shared a dream before he and Max. He couldn't dismiss it. If it was something to do with the unique physiology of the X5's then they might be the first. Max seemed surprised, did that mean she never shared a dream with someone before, never discussed it with them or had never actually slept with someone before? There was no good way to ask her if she had ever slept with someone before. Zack, and the others that followed his lead, may never have let anyone that close either.

He doubted the X5's still with Manticore had ever slept with anyone. He again contemplated the worth of trying to free them versus the cost of potentially bringing their wrath down on Eyes-Only and Max. Max once said he cared about strangers, but he wasn't helping these strangers no matter how desperately they may need it, because it could cost him Max. Still, he would continue to gather information. If; when, Max wanted to go after Manticore, he would be ready to help her.

Logan had just begun to entertain the attractive notion that there was some special, mystical bond between him and Max when his cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Logan." It was Matt Sung.

"Hey, Matt. Something up?" There was nothing like his mission to distract him from pleasant thoughts about Max.

"Nothing you can help with. Truth is I was worried about you."

"Why?"

"You hadn't been answering your phone."

Logan knew that wasn't all. He was an investigative journalist after all. "Why were you trying to call?"

Matt took a while to answer, but apparently either couldn't think of a nice way to say it or decided he respected Logan enough to be blunt. "I wasn't sure how you were doing with the cold. I don't know where you're staying. We're starting to find people that froze to death in their own homes. I was worried. If you had been stuck somewhere without power or heat ..."

With that comment Logan was right back to pleasant thoughts about Max, Logan had to smile. "I'm aiight," he said. He was not about to tell Matt how close he had been to freezing.

"Good. Take care."

"I will." Logan hung up and went to set up the candles and start dinner. He had a date with an Angel.

It was not until two hours after Max usually got off work that his mind started to make up reasons why he would never see her again.

To be continued …

Coming soon: Chapter 8 The Purrfect Evening.

Weather information provided by weather . yahoo . com and www . weather . com


	8. Purrfect Evening

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, nothing significant at all. My net worth is a negative number. Nothing to sue here people. Move along. (imagine a hand waving).

* * *

**Chapter 8: The Purrfect Evening.**

Max had had an absolutely miserable day. Jam Pony was extremely busy because people had found out that it was still open throughout the storm and they did not want to venture out yet; and almost half the riders were still out either 'sick' or 'injured'. Max contemplated the ironic justice of spending the night making damn sure that they actually had the injuries they claimed, even if she had to inflict said injuries upon the lazy S.O.B.'s herself. If she had not been able to 'parallel process and multitask like there's no tomorrow' the number of runs and the hazards of the street would have been enough to hold her attention. As it was she spent the morning wondering if Logan thought she was even more of a freak for sharing a dream and trying to figure out how she could not blow this relationship, like she had every other relationship she had ever had. The news report at lunch talked about how many of the city's homeless, poor, and invalid had died in the cold. So she spent the afternoon wondering about all the same stuff from the morning as well as analyzing the unfamiliar and terrible dread she felt at the mere thought of losing Logan.

Logan started paging her about the time she would have been done with work on an average day. She couldn't find a payphone that worked, and she didn't see anyone with a cell phone she could 'appropriate'. The power was out to her building, and there were too many people to risk being seen taking her motorcycle down the stairs. Max didn't even bother to check if her place had water; it would be freezing even if there was any. She just tossed a couple changes of clothes in her backpack, got back on her bicycle and peddled to Logan as fast as she dared.

By the time Max entered Logan's apartment it was slightly over two hours after she usually got off of work. She was cold, wet, miserable and planning on letting Logan know exactly how miserable she was when she let herself in. Max stopped short when she saw Logan staring out the window, the picture of abject misery. Well, misery loved company, she decided, so she was going to let him have it!

She went back and slammed the door to properly announce her arrival and mood. When she stormed back into the main room Logan had turned to face her with a hopeful look. Max's excellent self-discipline was all that kept a smile off her face as she ranted.

"Every pay phone in the damn city is dead. The streets still have patches of ice under the water that is falling in buckets from the sky! I would know; I was all over the damn city all damn day. Apparently Jam Pony was the only messenger service whose operations were not interrupted by what is being called the worst storm ever to hit this broken city, so we have a lot of new customers. So naturally, half the riders at work were 'sick' 'cause with twice the work you have got to have half the people. The power is out at my crib, I did not want to explain how I could control my baby down the stairs, so I had to pedal over here, which took twice as long. Every single scummy sector guard asked my opinion of the weather! And if you make one single comment about 'drowned rat' in my cocktail you will be as wet as I am!" She couldn't maintain her faux anger with Logan smiling at her. She sighed, "Just tell me that you have some hot water."

"I have hot water. Bath or shower?" he asked, ecstatic that she had not been avoiding him after all.

"Bath!" She had plans.

"Bad day?" he asked. He tried to sound sympathetic, but was not sure how it was coming out. He couldn't stop smiling.

"The worst."

"Why are you smiling?"

She paused, unsure how to answer. "You're smiling."

"That doesn't answer my question." he grinned.

She kneeled down before him and leaned in close. "Yes, it does." She kissed him.

Logan's mind was reeling. He had gone from despair to elation in less than sixty seconds, simply because Max had returned to him. He had to deal with how much she meant to him to be able to cause such a reaction. He had to deal with how much he meant to her that she was smiling, after 'the worst' day, simply because he was happy. The heat of her lips, the cold of her wet jacket, it was all simply too much. Logan moaned, seized her, and for once abandoned all thought, reason, and responsibility and lost himself in ecstasy.

Eventually Max realized that she had crawled into Logan lap and now they were both wet and cold. "Bath," she said.

"Dinner," he countered.

"You need to get out of those damp clothes." she asserted.

"Odd, I don't remember saying anything about a drowned rat, but I'm as wet as you are." Logan commented wryly.

"Not quite," Max murmured subtly into his ear. "Of course, if you inferred that you wouldn't be wet just because you didn't say anything about drowned rat." She unbuttoned the top button of his soft green cotton shirt. "That is a common fallacy." Max kissed his neck. "I think it's called denial of the antecedent." She unbuttoned the second button. "I didn't actually …" Max nibbled on his ear and unbuttoned the third button. "Say anything about what would…" … kiss …"… or would not…" …nibble …"…happen if you…" …unbutton… "…didn't say anything." Max kissed him and purred.

Logan marveled at her multi-tasking ability. Max was all he could think of, until he stood up. That was unusual enough it grabbed his attention back to what was going on. Max was about to slide his unbuttoned pants down. Keenly aware that his legs in reality looked different from his legs in the dream, he almost panicked. "Whoa!"

"Whoa?" Max looked at him, puzzled and unsure of herself all over again. She eased him back into his chair.

"Dinner first, it's been ready for awhile." he reassured her. "Where is my shirt?"

"Over there." she gestured.

He noticed his shirt and sock …sock? Yep, one quick glance confirmed that he had bare feet now. How had she managed that? His own personal superhero. He was in SOO far over his head.

"I told you we needed to get out of the wet clothes." she began, hesitant. "We could take a hot bath. I think I like baths with you, but I want to be sure." She smiled and removed her jacket.

"Dinner." Logan said firmly, keenly aware that he was stalling.

Max nodded, knowing he was stalling but not feeling that confident herself. "Dry clothes."

Logan accepted the reprieve and retreated to his room for dry clothes.

* * *

Logan quickly changed into something dry and soft. When he returned he found Max siting cross-legged on the dinning room table, roasting a marshmallow over the candles there. He put the pasta on to boil and went to join her. 

"I see you found desert." It was all he could think to say.

"Yep," she grinned.

"You rearranged the candles." He stated, but he wasn't sure why.

"It was very pretty with the tallest ones in the center, but putting them on the outside forms a concave pattern that concentrates the heat at a focal point. When you are trying to imitate a campfire with nine candles you need every Joule you can get."

Logan again contemplated how he was in SOOO far over his head. "We haven't had dinner yet."

"So?" Max, satisfied with the status of the marshmallow, assembled the S'more and took a bite as she approached Logan. With feline grace, Max stepped down from the table and walked over to Logan. Logan was enthralled by lithe motion and sashay of her hips.

"I am done waiting for the right time. There is never going to be a 'the right time', so I'm just jumping in, way over my head or not. You know?" She knelt before him and looked right into his eyes. "Going for what I want." she stated purposefully. She offered him the remainder of the S'more. "Deserts come first," she grinned.

He wrapped his hand around her arm and began to gently caress the sensitive inside of wrist as he licked the chocolate and marshmallow from her hand. His other hand reached around her elbow and slowly stroked her arm. Eventually Logan began eating the offered sweet, while gently nipping at her fingers.

Max briefly marveled at Logan's ability to multi-task, and that was the last coherent thought she had for a while.

Logan licked every drop of confection from Max, then continued to lick, nip, kiss and caress with the soft of his lips and the scruff on his chin for the even sweeter sounds of ecstasy from his love. He pulled her into his lap and she came to him willingly.

"Yummy," overlapped with "MMMmmmm" as was their wont. Logan claimed her lips and once again lost track of everything except him Max. Max was so incredibly responsive. Logan loved the purring, GOD he **loved** the purring! All Logan wanted to do was give her pleasure. Logan had just begun to believe they had enough …chemistry, magic, destiny … _something_ very special between them that he could be enough for her, even given the givens, when the fire alarm went off.

The first fact that penetrated Logan's brain was that Max was gone. He had just been thinking they were meant to be together and then, poof, she was gone and he was cold. He was wondering where his shirt was when the fact that the loud noise he was hearing was the fire alarm registered. The pasta! Dammit. Logan turned and headed back to the kitchen.

Max had the situation under control by the time he arrived. The water had boiled off the pasta and it had started to smoke; there was no fire.

"So …" they said. Max burst out laughing. Logan was just embarrassed.

When Max composed herself she asked "Have you ever done that before?"

"No. I have burned things before, but it never set off the fire alarm." Logan let out a deep sigh. "I am so sorry."

"For what?" she asked.

"I wanted this evening to be perfect."

Max crawled into his lap, cupped his face in her hands, looked him directly in the eye and told him "This is perfect."

"Burnt pasta is your idea of a perfect evening?"

"So it's flawed." She shrugged. "It's still perfect. I am not like the high-society women you are apparently used to. We are together. We are finally 'like that'. Somebody loves me. Maybe ordinary people can take that for granted, but for me that's… huge! And not just anybody; Logan. The great and powerful and sexy Eyes-Only. I… I'm rambling." Max held Logan and smiled, trying to convey feelings she couldn't put into words. Logan understood. The evening was flawed, he was flawed, Max thought she was flawed; they could still be perfect for each other despite, or perhaps even because of, their imperfections.

They wound up eating dinner in the kitchen. Most of the time Max was on Logan's lap. The wheelchair was in front of the fridge. They hand fed each other bread, cheese, sliced turkey and strawberries. It was slow and sensuous and wonderful.

"Do you remember the ripples in the bathtub? In our dream?" Max asked.

"In our dream." Logan marveled at the concept. "Yes, I remember."

"I want to try it, for real."

Logan nodded and led her to the master bathroom.

Logan started the water, adjusted the temperature, and added some bath oil. The whole time a war was raging inside him. His desire to be with Max, to touch her and give her pleasure was set against his fear of her seeing how useless half of him was. He turned to face Max, still uncertain what he was going to do. The look on her face told him that he was not going anywhere. Fear surrendered.

Max began to remove her clothes, for Logan. He knew she was doing it intentionally, for him. Her movements were slow, graceful, and sensual. Her gaze never wavered from his. Logan just sat there, transfixed, as Max stripped for him.

"You look just like you did in my …our dream." Logan could scarcely believe this was really happening. He had no idea what he was going to do, how this was going to go. "I don't."

"The atrophy in your legs?" Max asked.

"Yes." He nodded. He should have known she would know about that.

"You can't imagine that I care?" Hadn't he been paying attention today?

"I can't believe that you don't."

"What can I do to convince you? Logan, don't leave me out here on a limb all by myself. I know the risks. You are worth it. Am I?"

"Yes." Logan unfastened his pants. He wasn't sure how he was going to work this. On his best day he had never been as graceful as Max. There just wasn't any smooth way for him to get undressed anymore.

Max knelt at his feet and removed his socks. "Let me help you." It was a request. Logan could only nod.

Max picked him up and he slid the pants down his unfeeling legs. They moved together to the Jacuzzi tub. Logan balanced himself on the edge as Max slid his boxers off. Logan was cringing, waiting for Max to recoil from how thin his legs were getting. Lord knew he wanted to. Max didn't cringe. She was smiling. She looked a bit uncertain, but happy. Max lifted his legs over the edge of the tub. Logan lowered himself down into the water.

"What are **you** nervous about?" Max finally asked him.

Logan nearly choked. "What am **I** nervous about?"

"Yes." Max repeated patiently, as if to a small child.

"Max, my legs don't work. From here, " he gestured to a line slightly above the end of his ribcage "_nothing _works!" Once again Logan wondered what he was doing here. What did he have to offer Max? What was she going to get out of …this?

"I know." She said sadly. "I am sorry." Max wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his shoulder. "I just wanted to be with you. I'm sorry. I guess I was being selfish."

"What?" Logan truly had no idea how she came up with the word 'selfish'.

"There are lots of articles, books on … sex after …well, after. I wanted you. I want you. But what would you get out of …this?"

"What?" It was all Logan could get out. He had the most singularly beautiful woman he had ever seen, naked, yielding and in his arms and she was wondering what _he_ was getting out of …this? Could she really not know?

"How am **I** supposed to please **you**? All the articles, they are all about things you can do for me. There is nothing on what I can do for you. There is nothing that " Logan silenced her concerns with a kiss. Logan continued to explore her mouth until he knew exactly what to say to her. She wasn't the only one that could multi-task, given the right motivation.

"Max, you are obviously new to this whole being-in-love thing so I will explain this to you slowly. I love you. I enjoy being with you. I enjoy touching you. I enjoy seeing your pleasure, especially when I know that I am giving it to you. I didn't think that I would ever be able to satisfy a woman again. Before our dream last night I had no real hope of ever again experiencing that kind of pleasure myself. You have already given me more than I hoped for. I can never fully repay you, but there are a few things I want to show you." Logan was pleased to see the joy light up Max's face as he spoke.

"So, you never dreamed with anyone else?" she asked.

"No," Logan said slowly and patiently, as if to a small child. Was she serious? "Max, I do not think anyone has **ever** dreamed with someone else." Pause. "Have you?"

"Nope. I was thinking about it though. I decided it's your fault." She teased.

"My fault?" Playful banter in the bathtub, Logan could so get used to this; although he could not imagine why sharing dreams would be his fault.

"Yep. You told Phil that your powers were 'mostly mental'." She grinned up at him.

"Actually I think I was calling Phil 'mostly mental', but I prefer to think of this as being evidence of our special connection."

"Just us?" she asked.

"Just us." He confirmed.

"HmmMMmm" she baited.

"Hmmm, what?" He asked obligingly.

"A boyfriend that _can't_ cheat. I could get used to that." She looked to Logan for his response.

"Good. Hand me the soap. It's about time I made myself useful." She obliged.

The bath was a sensuous exploration. Max washed every part of Logan, letting him know as best she possibly could that she accepted and loved him as he was. Then she surrendered herself to Logan. He explored every inch of her, and showed her why he mentioned the hand-held showerhead earlier. They confirmed that her purring could indeed make little ripples.

They dried off. Max insisted that it was her turn and carried Logan to the bed. Logan had expected this to be humiliating. It wasn't. After the incredibly athletic extravaganza they dreamed about he was certain the reality, his reality, would be a disappointment. It wasn't. It was gentle and caring. Max demonstrated that her love transcended the physical. She loved him, no matter what happened to his body. She loved him, even broken, even flawed. Logan felt more satisfaction, contentment and acceptance he had imagined possible.

"Stay with me." Logan reached out to a remote control and soft ocean sounds filed the room.

Max mumbled something that seemed affirmative and snuggled into his arms. Logan drifted off to sleep happily wondering if he could convince Max that she had agreed to move in with him because she hadn't specified a time frame for staying with him. He wanted forever.

The End

PUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

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A/N: I have not begged for reviews every chapter (cough, cough) but now that it is done: please tell me what you thought. I am specifically interested in what worked for you and what you would like to see more of. 


	9. Epilog and Authors Notes

Epilog PURRRR

Logan opened his eyes and immediately squinted against the glaring sun. He could still hear the ocean. He sat up and looked around. This was Fiji, just like he remembered from his summer before he started college. Max was down in the warm water, looking at the tide pools in wonder. He gave a silent prayer of thanks for whoever wrote that webpage about controlling your dreams. Then Logan stood up and ran to his love.

To new beginnings!

Reilynn

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Authors notes: To all who reviewed, Thank you. Especially if you were more specific than 'Hurry up!"

Bob - Re: "How lovely" That is exactly the reaction I was aiming for. Well, that and laughter.

Natalie (not Sketchy's girl) - You are correct. I did not research Seattle weather. I have lived my entire life about 200 miles south of Seattle. I figured that if it got that cold here, occasionally, it would get that cold there occasionally. I hope the details in "Chapter 7 Dammit!" appease.

I did not mean to imply that Seattle was an unpleasant place to visit in February. But if you seriously do not turn on your heat all February then either you are a polar bear, or the people downstairs heat your apartment for you do. The AVERAGE high for February is 50 degrees, the average low is 37 degrees and that is Fahrenheit.

To all who wondered: I had not read Breath by Joy1 when I first posted this (but I really like it). I am sure that I wouldn't have changed anything if I had. I was well aware that needing to share body heat was not an original idea. It is a classic, if not cliché. I think the purring is an original idea, although it would not surprise me to find out its not. I thought that mix of cliché, I mean, classic idea with new (or relatively new) idea was worth the effort. I hope you agree.

I really like the purring. I think the shared dreaming is pretty cool too. I want Logan to be happy. Do not be surprised if these themes reappear.

I know that I did not have Max corner Logan about going in to the doctor. She only threw it out in the morning to buy time. Mild hypothermia does not have long term cognitive effects, at least according to the website I checked.

I know I never did anything more than 'startled' with Bling's reaction to Max purring. To be honest, after startled (which I felt was safe) I am not sure _how_ he would react. He really didn't have that many lines in the show for me to get a feel for his character.

Anything else that I did not cover, well, it just wasn't part of this story. Send me an e-mail, maybe I'll cover it next story.


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